Transcript, Video: Joined by Khizr Khan in Manchester, Clinton Asks Americans To Reassert Our Values At the Polls

Joined by Khizr Khan in Manchester, Clinton Asks Americans To Reassert Our Values At the Polls

Joined by Khizr Khan at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton thanked Mr. Khan, his wife and their son Capt. Humayun Khan for their sacrifice, their strength and commitment to our nation’s ideals. Clinton vowed to be a president for all Americans, because America needs every one of us to lend his or her energy, talents and ambition for our country to become better and stronger. Clinton said the idea that our country is “hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted, united” is one of our most fundamental values, saying we must make sure it remains “a place, where everyone is included, where people who are willing to work hard can get ahead and stay ahead, where we recognize the importance of the American dream and we believe and we will ensure it is big enough for everyone, not just a few.”

Clinton also reiterated her commitment to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, to help all kids get the chance to thrive with good schools and good teachers. Our country needs to serve as a Commander-in-Chief that understands the sacred responsibility of sending our troops into battle, she added, . urging the crowd to get out and vote on November 8th, so we can preserve the progress of the last eight years and build a stronger, better and fairer America. Clinton asked the crowd to volunteer in the final 48 hours of the campaign, so as not to leave this historic election to chance.

Mr. Khan recalled the outburst of support he has received from across America since his Democratic National Convention speech and called Secretary Clinton “the strongest, most qualified representative of the fundamental values which have made this country a symbol of hope and dignity for all throughout the world.” Reflecting on whether his son, as a Muslim, would have a place in Trump’s America, he asked the crowd to make sure we never find out, saying, “thankfully, Mr. Trump, this isn’t your America. And on Tuesday – and on Tuesday – and on Tuesday – and on Tuesday we are going to prove America belongs to all of us.”

Clinton and Khan’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:

KHIZR KHAN:

“I am so honored to stand before you to introduce Hillary Rodham Clinton. But before I do that, I want to share a bit about our journey since the Democratic National Convention, when our son, Captain Humayun Khan, was honored and we stood holding our Constitution.

After Donald Trump attacked this Muslim American and the Gold Star mother of Captain Humayun Khan, we received love from all corners of America. We got – we got thousands of letters and cards from people sharing their respect and solidarity with us. I want to read a small part of a 26-page letter [laughter] written by a veteran nurse who served in Europe during the Second World War. She writes, “Mrs. and Mr. Khan, thank you for reminding us of our fundamental values enshrined in our Constitution. Please keep reminding America what kind of America we want to be.”

This election will decide – this election will decide the future of America and the future of the world. On one hand, we have Donald Trump [Cries of “No!”] and his policies of hate, exclusion, intimidation [Cries of “No!”], and division. [Cries of “No!”] He challenges the impartiality of our justice system. His shameful disrespect of women has been embarrassing for America to watch. And his angry, unstable temperament proves him unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces – unsuitable – unsuitable for the office of commander-in-chief of our armed forces and consumption of the nuclear arsenal/nuclear asset of this country.

On the other hand, we have Hillary Rodham Clinton, with her lifelong public service to this country. She is the strongest, most qualified representative of the fundamental values which have made this country a symbol of hope and dignity for all throughout the world. In Secretary Clinton, we see a leader who is fighting for the true values of this country, which are under attack by Donald Trump in this election. So today I have a few questions for Donald Trump.

Donald Trump, would my son, Captain Humayun Khan, have a place in your America?”

AUDIENCE: “No!”

KHIZR KHAN: “Would Muslims have a place in your America?”

AUDIENCE: “No!”
KHIZR KHAN: “Would Latinos have a place in your America?”

AUDIENCE: “No!”

KHIZR KHAN: “Would African Americans have a place in your America, Donald Trump?”

AUDIENCE: “No!”

KHIZR KHAN: “Would anyone who isn’t like you have a place in your America, Donald Trump?”

AUDIENCE: “No!”

KHIZR KHAN: “Well, thankfully, Mr. Trump, this isn’t your America. [Cheers.] And on Tuesday – and on Tuesday – and on Tuesday – and on Tuesday we are going to prove America belongs to all of us.

Before – before I invite Hillary Rodham Clinton to speak with us, I want to share a very short story, an experience that I have had a few days ago on the streets here. A humble lady – I was walking on the street – holds my arm and says, ‘Mr. Khan, thank you. Mr. Khan, I have to tell you something. I have a 10-year-old son. Since the convention, every day from school when he comes he watches your speech. He watches your speech. And I have asked him, ‘Why do you watch this speech so often?’ He wouldn’t tell me.’ Finally, I insisted, and I asked him, ‘Tell me why you watch this speech.’ And he told me whenever he is bullied in school, whenever he is bullied by his classmates, telling him that you will be thrown out of here, he comes home and he watches your speech.’ So his mother – so his mother went to the teacher and said, “My son had been bullied in the school. Please do something about this. They asked him, ‘What do you do when you are bullied?’ He says, ‘I watch that speech.’ So the teacher had the wisdom and thoughtfulness – she went to the principal, got the permission, and played that speech to the entire class.

And a few days later – and a few days later, the mother asked him, ‘Have you been bullied?’ And he said, “No. Not after that speech.” The mother had the wisdom. The mother had the wisdom. She went for early voting and she took him. She took her son with her. And when she was voting, when she was voting for this leader, she showed him, this leader – this leader is going to stop all this nonsense, all this demagoguery from United States.

So it is my distinct honor, it is my highest honor, it is my distinct honor to present our leader for this historic mission, our leader to preserve fundamental American values, our next President, Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

HILLARY CLINTON:

“Thank you. Thank you so much. I am so, so touched and so grateful to be here in Manchester with all of you – and particularly with Mr. Khan. As he was speaking, I saw several of you holding up your Constitutions. And he reminded us all of the fundamental values that set us apart as Americans. He and his family exemplify the values that make America great, and in a race that has been marked by ugly suspicion and insults and attacks of all kinds against immigrants and Muslims and so many others, Mr. Khan, I think, reminded all of us that we are Americans. His son was an American who gave his life for our country. We cherish the Constitution and we will defend it.

In fact, when a president is sworn in on Inauguration Day, that’s the oath that a new president swears to: to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. The first words I ever heard from Mr. Khan were about his son’s courageous final moments serving our country in Iraq. He told the other troops in his unit to get back from a suspicious vehicle approaching their position, but he went forward. He took 10 steps toward danger before that car exploded. After his death, he was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. And here’s what Mr. Khan said – that really struck a chord with me, and as the story he just told us of the mother telling him about her son being bullied, these are words that I would hope that all Americans, and particularly young Americans, would hear and heed. Mr. Khan said, ‘We still wonder what made him take those 10 steps. Maybe that’s the point where all the values, all the service to country, all the things he learned in this country kicked in. It was those values that made him take those 10 steps. And those 10 steps,’ Mr. Khan went on to say, ‘told us,’ meaning he and his wife and his family, ‘told us we did not make a mistake in moving to this country.’

In fact, I think we should all be grateful that this remarkable family decided to make America their home. We should be grateful for everyone who looks at America and sees a beacon of hope worth defending. This means so much. This means so much to me because, like all of you, I love our country. And I believe with all my heart that our best days are still ahead of us if we reach for them together.

I also believe, as Mr. Khan and I were talking before we came on, that we will have some work to do to bring about healing and reconciliation after this election. We have to begin listening to one another and respecting one another. Because our core values are being tested in this election. But when I meet people, when I have a chance to hear from them about what they want for themselves and their families, my faith in our future has never been stronger. This election is a moment of reckoning. It is a choice between division or unity, between strong, steady leadership or a loose cannon who could put everything at risk.

And so, my friends, this is one of these elections that really is a crossroads election in our country. I am grateful to be joined tonight by so many wonderful people. There’s a big overflow. There are several overflows, and I hope they can all hear my voice.

I want to thank James Taylor for that wonderful performance. So many of his songs are a part of the soundtrack for America, and it’s wonderful that he could be here with us along with his wife, Kim.

I am thrilled to be with your next senator, Maggie Hassan. Maggie will bring a wealth of experience to Washington. She will bring the skills that enabled her to work across the aisle in the legislature and with the legislature, and we need that kind of common-sense, problem-solving approach, that independent voice that New Hampshire so deserves to have. So I hope and trust you will send Maggie to the Senate on Tuesday.

And I hope you will send Colin Van Ostern to the governorship. Colin will build on Maggie’s record of accomplishment. And I think about all of the jobs that have been created in this state, how college has been made more affordable, how you’ve taken on the epidemic of addition – you’re doing it the New Hampshire way, and both Maggie and Colin represent that.

I sure think Washington needs more of that, and I want you also to know how important it is to send Congresswoman Annie Kuster and Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter to Washington as well. Both Annie and Carol will bring the same attitude about rolling up their sleeves and getting to work for you that we really need in the Congress right now.

And another great member of the Senate who’s been up here campaigning for Maggie and talking about what will make the Senate work better is the senator from Rhode Island, Sheldon Whitehouse, who’s here with us.

And finally, finally I want to just recognize a New Hampshire native who is now the attorney general of Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey.

Now, elections are, of course, a choice, a choice between the people who are running. But much more than that, they are a choice about what we want to do in our country, what kind of country we want. And they’re often premised on the visions, the views, of the candidates. And what I’ve tried to do in this campaign is to lay out an agenda. What a novel idea. I actually – I actually want you to know what I will try to do if I’m so honored as to become your president.

And my running mate Tim Kaine and I got together and we put out a book called ‘Stronger Together’, which has all of our policies in there. It’s – yes, I see somebody holding it up back there – because we don’t only want you to know what we plan to do, we want you to hold us accountable. When I come back to New Hampshire, I want you to ask, “How’s that college affordability plan going? What are we doing about getting the cost of prescription drugs down? How are we managing the economy so that it produces more good jobs for everybody, not just those at the top?” I want – I want us to have an ongoing discussion about how we are all going to contribute to making our country all it should be. I really believe that America’s best years are still ahead of us if we all do our part.

And I think it’s fair to say after all the months of this campaign my opponent has a very dark and divisive view of our country. Sometimes when I hear him speak I honestly don’t recognize the country that he is talking about. Sometimes I’m not sure he recognizes the country he’s talking about.

Did any of you see the debates? Did you all see the debates? Well, I did spend four and a half hours next to Donald Trump in those debates, proving conclusively I have the stamina to do this job.”

AUDIENCE: “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary!”

HILLARY CLINTON: “But it’s also – But I think it’s also important that we believe in a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted, united America – right? Where everyone has a place, where everyone is included, where people who are willing to work hard can get ahead and stay ahead, where we recognize the importance of the American dream and we believe and we will ensure it is big enough for everyone, not just a few.

So I really believe that although my name and my opponent’s name may be on the ballot come Tuesday, what’s really on the ballot is what kind of country we want for our children and our grandchildren. What’s really on the ballot is every single issue we care about. Our Constitution set up a system of government that has stood the test of time. It can sometimes be frustrating, provide challenges; we know that. But here we are, the longest-lasting democracy in the history of the world. That is to be cherished and nurtured, not demeaned, not degraded.

Now, if you believe that our brave men and women in uniform like Captain Khan deserve a commander-in-chief who knows what needs to be done, then you have to vote. Don’t leave it to chance. Don’t leave it to others. Use your voice and your vote. Because my opponent actually said more countries should have nuclear weapons. And when a journalist asked him about using nuclear weapons, he said, well, why do we make them? I wonder if he even realizes he’s talking about nuclear war.

The other day in Ohio I was at Kent State University and I was introduced by a man named Bruce Blair. He had been in the Air Force decades ago and he was a launch officer in our nuclear program, which meant that he sat in a bunker during his watch time in case the president, whoever the president was, were to order a nuclear attack.

And Bruce Blair knows there is no appeal from a president’s order to launch a nuclear attack. There is no veto by the Joint Chiefs of Staff or anybody else. If a president orders a nuclear attack, there’s about a four-minute window before it happens. I had never met Mr. Blair before. He’s gone on to have a very distinguished career in security studies. But as he was watching this campaign and reflecting on the service he did as a young man, he realized he could never support Donald Trump, and he called other launch officers, sometimes called missileers, and asked them what they were thinking. And to a person, they said this is unacceptable, this is actually scary. So several dozens of them wrote a letter saying that they know what the awesome responsibility is that a president of the United States holds, and they could never support Donald Trump to be our president and commander-in-chief.

And if you believe, like I do, that our economy grows and America thrives when the middle class grows and thrives, then you have to vote too. We’re going to make the biggest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II – jobs in infrastructure, in advanced manufacturing, in clean energy, small business jobs. I want to be the best small business president we’ve ever had, to enable more people to get started and grow their businesses.

In contrast, my opponent built his fortune on the backs of small business owners. But I’m the daughter of a small businessman, and I am just so glad my dad never got a contract from Donald Trump because so many who did were stiffed. But I want to make sure that we have easier access to capital, less red tape, more tax relief for people willing to take the risk of going in to small businesses.

I also think it’s imperative that we make our economy fairer. And that means I do support raising the national minimum wage because, as I said, I believe in work. That’s how I was raised. And I think we can do better for people who work full-time and still are mired in poverty. We want to get back to having ladders of opportunity. If you work in America, you ought to be able to get ahead in America. And we’re going to make that happen again.

And we’ve got to start recognizing that families need more support. And that’s why I want to make childcare affordable, instead of costing as much as tuition. And it is time that we had paid family leave so that you can take care of the most important obligation that you have.

And it is way past time to guarantee equal pay for women’s work. And this is not just a woman’s issue. This is a family issue. If you have a mother, a wife, a sister, or daughter, this is your issue. And this is an issue worth voting on because it’s time we made it fair for working women. And every time I talk like this, my opponent says I’m playing the woman’s card. Well, you know what I say. Deal me in.

And if you believe all of our kids should have a chance to thrive in good schools with good teachers, no matter what ZIP Code they live in, then you have to vote because we have got to make public education work for everyone.

And I think we need some water. Yes. Do we have some water that we can get here? If we’ve got – if we have some water, that would be a big help. Okay. Great.

Now, look, I think when it comes to education, we do need to have high-quality, affordable pre-kindergarten in every community. I also believe we need to bring back technical and vocational education into our high schools because a four-year degree should not be the only path to a good job and a middle class life in New Hampshire or in America. And for anyone who does want to go to college, we are going to make it affordable.

Now, after the primary was over – and I have to say you all cleaned my clock in the primary, I know. But it was a great primary because it was about ideas and issues, not insults. And I am proud of the race that Senator Sanders and I ran. And – and when it was over, when it was over, we got together. And we sat down. And we said, ‘How can we work?’ to deal with a lot of the issues that we were both concerned about in the primary. And we have put together a plan. Public colleges and universities should be tuition-free for everyone who makes less than $125,000 a year. And it should be debt-free for everyone else. We have to treat it like an investment. And Bernie and I were just in North Carolina campaigning together. And it’s so exciting because we know that not only do we have to make college affordable. We also have to help the millions of Americans who are already struggling with student debt to ease that burden, get those interest rates down, make it so you never have to pay more than you can afford.

So, you see, working for children and families has been the cause of my life, but it’s never been more important than it is right now. And it will be our mission together, doing everything we can to help all our kids, and every American, have the chance to live up to their God-given potential. I am taking very seriously the obligation that I feel to reach out to all Americans. I am asking for the support, not just of Democrats but also Republicans and Independents, in this election. I want to be the president for all Americans, those who vote for me and those who do not vote for me, because we have to heal this country. And that is going to take everyone. We have to remember how to disagree without being so disagreeable. And it is unusual for somebody running for president to say that what we need more of in our country is love and kindness, but we really do, toward one another, toward people different from ourselves. We all have a role in building a better, stronger, fairer America. And I am very honored to have gotten the kind of support I have received from Republicans here in New Hampshire. And I really am very grateful for the recent statement by former Senator Gordon Humphrey about what’s at stake in this election.

So we can’t do any of this work unless we’re successful on Tuesday. It really all starts then. Our future is in our hands. And anyone who says they’re going to stay on the sidelines or it doesn’t matter really doesn’t understand what’s at stake in this election. We’ve got to get every American eligible to vote registered to vote. And here in New Hampshire, you’ve got same-day registration. So you can all get out and vote. We’ve got to get everyone to believe that this election is about you. It is about you, your dreams, your aspirations, your hopes, your family, your community. I have never felt more strongly about what we can do together. I am confident, and I am optimistic about the future we can make together.

If you don’t know where you’re supposed to vote, you can go to iwillvote.com. They will tell you there. You can still volunteer. We have been knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors. I’ll bet some of yours, right? And some of you did the knocking. But we are – we are not taking anyone or anything or any place for granted. So if you want to volunteer, you can go to hillaryclinton.com or text J-O-I-N, 47246.

It really comes down, as far as I am concerned, for me personally to my grandchildren because I feel very blessed that I have had opportunities in our country because of my family and because of what others had done to prepare the path for me, going back to our founding. And I really want each and every one of us to think for a moment about how we would feel on November 9th if we were not successful. When your kids and grandkids ask you what you did in 2016, when everything was on the line, I hope you are able to say you voted, you voted for a better, stronger, fairer America, an America where we build bridges, not walls, an America where we prove, once and for all, that love trumps hate. Let’s go vote, New Hampshire. Thank you. God bless you.”